Hated to Loved

Chapter 10: The Necklace

Ember's POV

I sat down and pulled my knees to my chest, starting to cry. Why had I walked away from Thayne and Martha? I only meant to explore a little, not get lost! My face was still sore from earlier and truthfully, I just wanted to curl up in bed.

"Don't cry," someone said, startling me.

"W-who are you?"

"Erm, my name is Blueo,"

"Blueo!" I cried, throwing myself in the direction of the voice, Blueo caught me and held me in his arms, awkwardly comforting me.

"Uhm, w-who are you?" He asked, which hurt my feelings a little bit.

"It's me, Ember..."

"Oh, why are you crying?"

"I got lost in the cave... Where did you come from?"

"Uh, I don't know honestly. But, should we try to get out..?"

I wanted to face palm, how did he not remember where he just came from? But I wiped away my tears and nodded, standing up. "Uh, yeah..."

There were small but brightly shining gems lining the walls giving off enough light to see a little bit. One thing I had noticed is that the cave was full of such gems.

"Uhm, why don't we try... This path?" I said pointing down a tunnel on the right. It looked more inviting to me, even though it was just like all the other tunnels.

"Sure!" Blueo said, and we started down the tunnel, talking quietly as we walked. I cried out in surprise and fear when I felt something like sticky, thin string encase my face, and I realized it was a spider web.

"Ahh! Ew, ew!" I cried loudly, swiping it off my face and then swiping at places a spider could be.

"It's just a spider web," Blueo said, as if I didn't know.

"Yeah, I know. I hate spiders..." I whined, finally deciding that no spiders were on me I continued to walk forward.

"Why do you hate spiders?"

"Well... A few times in my childhood I was bit by a spider and each time it swelled up and hurt. So, I grew to hate and fear all spiders..."

"Ah. Makes sense-" Blueo said, then at that exact moment I stepped forward but didn't feel any ground, instead I fell and landed with a thud on the cold, hard stone and got up rubbing my head. "Ow..."

"Ember! Are you okay?" Blueo asked.

"Y-yeah, I think so..."

He jumped down, landing on his feet. Lucky.

I looked around and noticed a small glow, it was purple in color and brighter than the smaller gems lining the wall. I went towards it. "Blueo, look..."

He did and grabbed my shoulder, but I shrugged him off.

"Ember, don't touch it. It could be a portal and bring us somewhere-"

I didn't hear anymore as I felt myself be zapped and landed somewhere, but I couldn't move, couldn't do anything but stare at the necklace I saw in my hand.

Blueo's POV

Ember fell into a hole and my heart started racing. "Ember! Are you okay?"

"Y-yeah, I think so..." She responded, and I breathed a sigh of relief. I jumped down with her and landed on my feet, then looked around. It looked like there were more tunnels... But these tunnels looked dark and demonic. I shuddered before I heard Ember and turned around. "Blueo look..."

I saw her walking to something that had a purple glow and looked like a portal of sorts. I laid my hand on her shoulder, but she shrugged me off.

"Ember, don't touch it. It could be a portal and bring us somewhere-"

She touched it and disappeared. I sighed in frustration and touched it as well,

I was brought to an open field, there was a wall of stone and a few trees but for the most part it was flat and clear of obstructions. I saw Ember and in her hand was a necklace with a purple stone and gold chain. Ember was staring at it as though she was in a hypnotic trance.

I stepped toward her and said her name. "Ember?"

She didn't answer and I tried again. "Ember!"

This time she turned towards me slightly and held out the necklace for me to see, but she never actually looked at me, her eyes stayed fixated upon the necklace. "Look Blueo, isn't it pretty?"

"Yeah, it's beautiful," I said with a eye role, "But we shouldn't be here. Now how far back in time are we?" I asked. She ignored me again and I looked around with a sigh, trying to gather any possible information on the time period.

As I looked around a strange thudding sound drew closer and I turned to it. Wait, were those actually..?

Ember didn't seem to notice as knights on horses surrounded us and I tried to pry the necklace from her in panic, but one of the knights aimed his spear right at me and I backed away as a few of the other knights ushered Ember towards them and helped her onto a horse.

The one aiming his spear at me spoke. "You, sir, have been caught kidnapping the princess. The penalty for such a crime is death. It is hopeless to resist, you might as well surrender."

I frantically searched my pockets and felt my fingers grasp a uno reverse card. Ah, that wouldn't help but I really didn't think anything I had would help so I pulled it out and showed it to the guards. "Uno reverse!" I called out, and they backed away, murmuring among themselves. Were they actually... Scared? Of a meme?

The knight who had aimed the spear at me, aimed the spear at me again, but he held himself back, clearly weary.

"I-it would behoove you, sir, to surrender,"

"How about, no?" I said, teleporting away and ending up in the branches of a tree. I sat and wondered how I would get "Princess" Ember and I out of here.